Frances Beal was an influential African American feminist, civil rights activist, and scholar who played a pivotal role in the Black liberation movement and the feminist movement during the 1960s and 1970s. She is best known for her work as a founding member of the group Black Women’s Liberation Committee and for her powerful essay, “Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female.” In this work, Beal highlighted the unique oppression faced by Black women, who are marginalized both as women and as Black people. Her advocacy for the intersectionality of race, class, and gender laid the groundwork for future discussions on these critical issues in feminist theory and Black activism.
In addition to her work as a writer and activist, Beal was deeply involved in grassroots organizing, particularly within the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. She worked to bring attention to the struggles faced by Black women, often overlooked in both mainstream feminism and civil rights circles. Beal’s legacy is enduring, as she helped to shape a generation of activists and scholars committed to addressing the systemic issues of race, gender, and class in both theory and practice.
